Which to use
“hat” is a noun and “hic” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,835
- “hat” frequency rank
- #49,392
- “hic” frequency rank
- 52227
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hat | hic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A covering for the head, often in the approximate form of a cone, dome or cylinder closed at its top end, and sometimes having a brim and other decoration. | An approximation to the sound of a hiccup, used e.g. to indicate drunkenness. |
Where the eye mixes hat and hic
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hat is /hæt/ while hic is /hɪk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52227, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hat is recorded at frequency rank #2,835, classified as anoun, pronounced /hæt/. hic is at rank #49,392, tagged as anintj, pronounced /hɪk/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 52227, this pair ranks #158,819 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hat vs hic
Shared letters: h. Private to "hat": at. Private to "hic": ci.
"hat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hic" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hat" and "hic" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hat" or "hic"?
What to do next
You've compared "hat" and "hic". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "hat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #158,819 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hat" and "hic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hic vs HIIT". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.